Arizona weekly citizen., 1887-02-26
The County Court. TMohayO Miner.l

Whatever may be the status of Coun- ty Courts ID other counties of this Ter ritory. We believe that ID Dohave cOun- ty this court stands III high favor with our people and that there IS no desire among those of our citizens who under stand its working. and it's adaptation to our wants, for iis sboht on.
 There should certainly be in every county a tribunal before which every citizen may go to demand the enforce ment of his legal rights, and 1t IS Tor this, primarily, that he pays hls taxes. He pays for the protection Of the la" and this can only se afforded nm through the medium of the courts. lD obtain,cg this protection the citize ns should be subjected 10 DO greater delay than public necessity imposes, Our County Court affords C. speedy redress ot grievances. The District Court II this county at least, has no, done the, nor can II, by reason of its organization and manner Of working. The latter with but two terms per year. leaving ordinerilv an interval of six mouths from the time at which u suit Is brought before # can be heard, either on de murrer or answer, and which, on a sim ple deuurer, may be lsid over Tor SIX months more, and then on aD effidsvi. fir ccotiuuancc De laid over again. bg had the effect in thIs county O. making uleD, with just claims, despair of theIg successful assertion, aud rather bear loss and injury than attempt tc enforce their claims by an appeal tO the cour , and one case that we know of has been put of and continued from time to time until all the parties and all the witne.se- are dead, and still it stands ct issue,
 This should not te the case m Gny portion of our country and it our COua y Court obviaies the difficulty and works no great evil to the public 1t should b. continued.
 The only allegation that We have heard made by the papers of the Terri tory OF this point IS that IL greatly in- cresses the expense Of running the cOun ty government. If this be true, to tue extent alleged m some counties, 1t IS not so with us. The County Court here. by absorbing the Probate Cour:, has cut off the expense of that court, and reduced the salary of our Judge to about Sl,200 per year. When We con- slider that by the law establishing tbls court, the Probate busIness passes u1- der the control of a person required to be learned ID law, and ensures a proper disposition of its business the salary Is certainly low enough to satlsiy any political economist. And. apTopos pro hate business. on last Wednesday tine Judge of the County Court cslled the cases unfinished on the Probate cslen- dar since 1872; and there was found ,o be forty cases which had never been concluded by the discharge of the nd ministrstors or executors, and m many ot which there is now DO possibility Of finding the parties acting. nor of tracing tine disposition of the property O; the decedents. The de-iTe thRs our County Court should be continued IS not con fined tO any party, tut its continuance Is wished for by our heaviest taxpayers. both Democratic and Republican, whose signatures have been appended tO a pc tiiion to that effect, and forwarded t0 the Councilman from this county for presen- tation to the Vresent Le.islature.
 IT those who oppose the County Court do so ID good faith, and only frr the req son alleged, to-wit: economy. why nor let the court stand and simply make ]. a court Of four terms per year; Say, for instance, that 1t shall meet for the trial of causes in the first Mondays in Jan uary. April. July and November. By this means DO mans case can be delsy- ed for an unreasonable time. AGd. as the court will be always open to hear and decide questions of law and interlocu- tory motions. at term tine cyeTg css,- to be tired upon questions of fact would be ready for trial End there would be re- quired only four trial iuries per year This would make our County Court a tribunal giving speedy justice, and would insure this by plan meeting all the requirements of economy. IL would be Ru institution effecling tine end de sired with as litt'e expense to the pec- pie, as any that could be invented.